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Convent of the Visitation: Science moves beyond textbooks into 4,000-square-feet

By Christopher Magancmagan@pioneerpress.com

Posted:
01/20/2013 12:01:00 AM CST

Updated:
01/20/2013 09:05:42 PM CST

Kate Azar, a junior at Convent of Visitation School in Mendota Heights is on the robotics team, which will use the new space at the school. (Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson)

Kate Azar likes to demonstrate that when it comes to science -- girls rule.

The junior and her classmates at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights soon will have a new space to hone their skills in science, technology, engineering and math, a group of disciplines often referred to as STEM.

The school will unveil a 4,000-square-foot STEM Center Thursday, Jan. 24. It is part of $10.5 million in renovations and additions. It includes a classroom, machine shop, assembly area and space for the robotics team.

"There's been a lot of thought put into it, so we know it's going to be great," Azar said. The Edina resident is most excited about the chance to move the school's FIRST Robotics team, nicknamed "The Robettes" into the high school from rented space in St. Paul.

Guided by mentors from Boston Scientific, the team of high school girls builds robots that compete in regional contests.

Last year, "The Robettes," the state's first all-female team, won the Minnesota North Star Regional Championship. The win was a surprise to many of the boys in the predominately male competition.

"They said, 'Wow, these girls can really do this,'" Azar said with a smile. "It was a great feeling."

Azar and her coach Melissa Murray, a science teacher, hope the new lab space will encourage more girls to join the robotics team.

Murray says the hands-on nature of the program is a great way to get students excited about science. "All these kids want to figure out what makes stuff work," she said.

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Students from prekindergarten to 12th grade also will get a chance to use the site for science-related learning, whether it's building with Lego blocks or using drill presses.

Educators want to involve more students in STEM fields in the hope that jobs of the future will require more technical skills.

Dawn Nichols, head of school at Visitation, said that the new STEM center will allow for more programs that help spark interest in science and technology.

The new multifunctional room will be home to the robotics team, which upper school science teacher Melissa Murray mentors. "These girls are coming out of high school with skills greater than their peers nationwide," she said. (Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson)

In February, the school will host a STEM Day for Girls in the new center, where middle school students from across the metro will explore the STEM fields.

"We want our students to do real-world work," Nichols said, "to solve problems and to make the world a better place."